A tune gone wrong?

A video of Pakistani playback singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who is known for songs like Bol Na Halke Halke, Main Jahaan Rahoon, Teri Ore and Dil Toh Bachcha Hai, has come to light where he is seen bashing one of his students over a bottle. However, the singer downplayed his actions in the video and said it was a personal matter between a teacher and a student.

The video uploaded on X showed the singer purportedly thrashing a man brutally, whom he claimed was his disciple, with his shoe. He can be seen slapping and hitting the man while enquiring about a bottle. The man can be heard pleading with the singer “I have no idea about it.”

The singer later issued a clarification in a video on the microblogging site that featured the man who was beaten up. He said in the video: “This concerns a private matter between shagird and ustad. He is like my kid. This is the nature of the relationship between a mentor and his follower. I show love to a disciple whenever he does something well. He faces consequences if he commits a transgression.”

The singer said that he had apologised to the man after the incident. The man, who was thrashed, also said that he had misplaced a bottle containing holy water. “There was no ill intention behind his actions. He is like my father. He loves us a lot. The man who is spreading this video is trying to defame my ustad,” the man said in the video.